Grief is the feelings an individual may feel when experiencing a loss. When an individual is grieving the loss of someone or something important to them, they go through the five stages of grief.

The five stages of grief are a psychological concept established by Elisabeth Kluber-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. In her book she explains the five stages of grief as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

The first stage of grief is denial. When a person is in denial about a death or loss they refuse to believe the reality of the event. They may avoid talking or thinking about the loss in hopes that it will go away. They may feel numb to their feelings and may keep busy to avoid facing the grief they experience.

The second stage of grief is anger. The individual experiencing the grief may be angry at a specific person, a group of people or possibly everyone around them. This specific person or group the anger is directed towards may even be the person who has passed. This stage tends to bring a lot of feelings of resentment, blame and frustration. The grieving person may also feel anger towards themselves for not preventing the loss. Oftentimes when the person feels a lot of anger with themselves, they will begin transitioning into the next stage of grief, which is bargaining.

The third stage of grief is bargaining. This stage may make a person feel very guilty. It may lead to a heightened sense of anxiety and awareness of potential dangers in the future. A common phrase of the bargaining stage is “If only I would have…”. The person experiencing the grief may blame themselves for the loss and may believe they could have prevented the loss, even if it was unpreventable.

The fourth stage of grief is depression. This stage can be defined as sadness, hopelessness and despair. In this stage people begin to have significant changes in appetite and sleep patterns. These individuals may spend several days in bed crying or may feel as if things will never get better. These symptoms are temporary but may seem permanent to the grieving individual.

The fifth stage of grief is acceptance. This stage is the final of the five stages of grief and includes coming to terms with a loss and the feelings it brings with it. Grieving individuals may begin to move on with their lives while still processing their grief. They begin to feel hope and purpose in their life again.

While these are called the stages of grief, they are not linear. Everyone grieves losses in different ways and may not go through these stages in the same order. Individuals grieving may experience many different stages simultaneously.

If you or a loved one is currently experiencing grief and are in need of support please seek professional help.

For more Information about the Five Stages of Grief, please visit:

https://www.washington.edu/counseling/2020/06/08/the-stages-of-grief-accepting-the-unacceptable/#:~:text=Persistent%2C%20traumatic%20grief%20can%20cause,adapt%20to%20a%20new%20reality.